Team:UCL/Human Practices
<!DOCTYPE html>
OVERVIEW
Public Engagement/General Public: Biosynthage really wanted to create a project that addresses a current societal need and understand how ageing affects us in later life. Our interactions with the general public involved visiting a Dementia care home, conducting surveys and talking to people on the streets of London.
The experts: From the very beginning we have engaged scientific experts in order to ensure that our project is addressing a genuine need as defined by those who know best.
Industry: To understand the context of ageing industries and where Biosynthage fits and find out how our ideas can be translated from lab to industry, we reached out to opinions of experts from the ageing industry. We received enthusiastic feedback about our idea, strengthen by a feeling of slow progress in ageing industries.
Religion, Synthetic Biology and Ageing: We have been talking to religious leaders and religious members of the public to find out what they they think about our project and synthetic biology and to find an answer to whether religion actually acts as a barrier to the development of synthetic biology.
Our visit to Hamburg dementia home: We have been talking to elderly people who are effected by age related diseases to understand how ageing really effects the ageing population first hand. Have a look at some of the stories of the people at the care home!
Education/Outreach: As a response to our survey which showed that more then 3/4 of the sample wished that they had learnt about synthetic biology at school, we wanted to reach out to as many age groups as possible and run several different educational workshops
Law and regulation in London: We have been talking to members of parliament, UCL political societies and London assembly members to get a view of our project from a law point of view. Will our ideas be accepted into society and will people in London want this?
Our iGEM blog
We also wanted the general public to know about our project and iGEM so we decided to make a blog highlighting our general experiences as we go along this iGEM journey! We are also working on posting some tips for future GEM teams, based on what we are learning as we go through the process.
The Blog link: http://ucligem2016.wix.com/ucligem2016
Our App
As mobile phones are becoming increasing part of our lives, we thought that developing an app may be a great way to get more people more aware of synthetic biology. We have decided to create a game that works by getting users to create certain biobricks, where the gene of interest will only complete the biobrick if the plasmid backbone is cut with the correct restriction enzymes. We want to make it as user friendly as possible and we are hoping to integrate our project and iGEM into the app as well.
In the press
We were able make more people aware of our project by getting our project advertised through the UCL website (Biochemical engineering News section). We are also working on getting the project advertised on the UCL newsletter (myUCL).
Also follow our vlog where we upload fun videos of the team members and vlog throughout our iGEM journey
Is ageing a disease
Team:Edinburgh/Practices
Our Story
From its very inception, Edinburgh iGEM 2015 has been steeped in controversy. What makes our team truly unique, however, is the way in which we have not shied away from its presence, but rather embodied it as the cornerstone of the work we strive to build.
Foreword
With controversy comes important questions. Some have asked whether our test would implicitly condone drug use, and this has allowed for a fascinating exploration into the moral implications of harm reduction. Consequently, we have become facilitators of a debate regarding the nature of responsible drug policy, which we believe is paramount to a city so stricken by drug use as the one we have come to know, love, and call home.
Internally, this debate is at once restraining and liberating: it constantly forces us to stop and reevaluate what should be the next step forward, as we attempt to balance seemingly disparate beliefs within our own group. Yet, by doing so, we come to learn so much about ourselves, as we uncover ingrained prejudices we never knew existed.
There are endless ways in which our narrative could unfold. Indeed, with each new chapter there will be an audience who stands and applauds with approval, and one which remains seated and scorns with discontent. Who will belong to which audience is difficult to say; however, one thing is certain: we are the authors, and it is our story to tell.
Interactive Timeline
-
From The White Board To The Wet Lab
In order to determine the focus of iGEM 2015, we participated in a week long sandpit where we brainstormed ideas.
-
A Chat With Policy Experts
We sat down with Susan Deacon, former Scottish MSP and member of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy, and Doctorial Researcher Anna Ross for interviews regarding the current climate of UK drug policy. See how their input changed our project.
-
Synenergene Collaboration
We were fortunate enough to be selected as one of eight teams worldwide for a grant and collaboration with the EU project Synenergene. See how they helped us build a theoretical framework for the real-world implimentation of our biosensor.
-
The Morality of our Biosensor
Some object to our biosensor on a more abstract level, arguing that it is morally reprehensible because it implicity condones drug use. We talked to Dr David Levy, lecturer of ethics, to see how much weight this objection carries.
-
Understanding Our End Users
We went to Serenity Cafe, which hires recovered and recovering heroin addicts. Serenity's owner, Yanni Yannoulis, shared his reservations about the usefulness of our biosensor for heroin addicts. See how we adapted our device in response to his advice.
-
Understanding Our End Users pt2
In order to determine the usefulness of our device for MDMA users, we chatted to Kings College London's Dr Adam Winstock, author of the world's largest drug survey, 'Global Drug Survey (2015)'. See how his invaluable insight lead to software being integrated with our biosensor.
-
Biohack: Encouraging Public Innovation
We held a public biohack where participants learned about SynBio, whilst proposing innovative ways technology could be used to increase the functionality of our biosensor. See which ideas stood out the most, and how we incorporated them into our project.
-
Facilitating An Open Discussion
We hosted a public panel discussion on issues relating to drug use, inviting a wide array of speakers, including current Scottish MSPs, social and healthcare workers, university faculty and more. See how they respond to challenging questions posed by the audience.
-
Implementing Our Final Product
We did the research, talked to the experts and adapted our biosensor. Now that the project was coming to an end, we put our final prototype to the ultimate test by visiting a drug consumption room in Amsterdam and asking staff and users whether it was any good. Click here to see what they said.
-
Concluding Thoughts
See how our project has shaped the thoughts and opinions of own team.
Contents
- 1 Interactive Timeline
- 1.1 From The White Board To The Wet Lab
- 1.2 A Chat With Policy Experts
- 1.3 Synenergene Collaboration
- 1.4 The Morality of our Biosensor
- 1.5 Understanding Our End Users
- 1.6 Understanding Our End Users pt2
- 1.7 Biohack: Encouraging Public Innovation
- 1.8 Facilitating An Open Discussion
- 1.9 Implementing Our Final Product
- 1.10 Concluding Thoughts
Interactive Timeline
</h2>
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Sandpit"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="Michelle's face">
</a>
From The White Board To The Wet Lab
In order to determine the focus of iGEM 2015, we participated in a week long sandpit where we brainstormed ideas.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Experts"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
A Chat With Policy Experts
We sat down with Susan Deacon, former Scottish MSP and member of the RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy, and Doctorial Researcher Anna Ross for interviews regarding the current climate of UK drug policy. See how their input changed our project.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Synenergene"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Synenergene Collaboration
We were fortunate enough to be selected as one of eight teams worldwide for a grant and collaboration with the EU project Synenergene. See how they helped us build a theoretical framework for the real-world implimentation of our biosensor.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Morality"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
The Morality of our Biosensor
Some object to our biosensor on a more abstract level, arguing that it is morally reprehensible because it implicity condones drug use. We talked to Dr David Levy, lecturer of ethics, to see how much weight this objection carries.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Serenity"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Understanding Our End Users
We went to Serenity Cafe, which hires recovered and recovering heroin addicts. Serenity's owner, Yanni Yannoulis, shared his reservations about the usefulness of our biosensor for heroin addicts. See how we adapted our device in response to his advice.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Winstock"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Understanding Our End Users pt2
In order to determine the usefulness of our device for MDMA users, we chatted to Kings College London's Dr Adam Winstock, author of the world's largest drug survey, 'Global Drug Survey (2015)'. See how his invaluable insight lead to software being integrated with our biosensor.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Biohack"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Biohack: Encouraging Public Innovation
We held a public biohack where participants learned about SynBio, whilst proposing innovative ways technology could be used to increase the functionality of our biosensor. See which ideas stood out the most, and how we incorporated them into our project.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Collaboration"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Facilitating An Open Discussion
We hosted a public panel discussion on issues relating to drug use, inviting a wide array of speakers, including current Scottish MSPs, social and healthcare workers, university faculty and more. See how they respond to challenging questions posed by the audience.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/DCR"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Implementing Our Final Product
We did the research, talked to the experts and adapted our biosensor. Now that the project was coming to an end, we put our final prototype to the ultimate test by visiting a drug consumption room in Amsterdam and asking staff and users whether it was any good. Click here to see what they said.
-
<a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Edinburgh/Practices/Conclusion"> <img class="img-circle img-responsive" src="
" alt="">
</a>
Concluding Thoughts
See how our project has shaped the thoughts and opinions of own team.
</div> </section>
<footer>
<a href="#">Back to top</a>
© 2015 EdiGEM · <a href="#">Privacy</a> · <a href="#">Terms</a>
</footer>
</div>
</main>
</body>
</html>
